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I’ll Have the Usual

How long have you been going? More than 50 years. I went there when it was a drive-in!

How often are you there? Once a week. I go to church on Saturday nights, and then I go in for dinner.

Why do you come back? I know three generations of Bastiens [owners]. I used to go to Eddie Bohn’s Pig and Whistle a lot, too. But it’s been closed for a good many years.

What do you order? Prime rib or steak, medium rare, with french-fried sweet potatoes.

Do you get special treatment? They let me come in the back door so I don’t have to walk so far.

What’s your drink? Jameson on the rocks. Doctor’s orders.

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Terry Loftus, 74

Buckhorn Exchange, 1000 Osage St.

How long have you been going? Since 1989, but my grandfather took me there for the first time when I was 11. We used to go down to the sporting goods store on Larimer, and then we’d stop by the Buckhorn and say hello to [then-owner] Mr. Henry Zietz.

How often are you there? Every night. But I get weekends off.

Where do you sit? At the bar, on the corner.

How has the place changed? When I’d go in with my grandfather, the bar was downstairs—and you couldn’t sit at it because there were animal heads all over it.

Are you a regular anywhere else? I have breakfast at Charlie Brown’s every Saturday and Sunday.

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Jerry Middleton, 74

Sam’s No. 3, 1500 Curtis St.

How long have you been going? Since I was a sophomore in high school. My friends and I used to go there almost every night to get chili and a hamburger. I’d also go with my mother and uncle for breakfast.

How often are you there? A few times a week with my wife, and at least once a weekend.

Why do you come back? Their green chile! Their red chile! Greeks are the only people who know how to cook breakfast.

What do you order? Eggs basted or poached, and crisp bacon. My service dog loves their bacon, too.

Where do you sit? I have a booth by the window that’s my favorite. If they’re busy, I’ll sit in the back up the stairs.

Do you get special treatment? None, but I still tip.

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Dr. Richard Cundy, 72

Racines, 650 Sherman St.

How long have you been going? Twenty years overall, and for breakfast about eight years. I was still old then, in my 50s. I’m a retired ear-nose-and-throat surgeon—and I used to write restaurant reviews for a medical newspaper under a pen name.

How often are you there? A couple times a month.

Why do you come back? It’s great food, and a meeting place.

Fondest Racines memory? One of the first times we were at Racines, one of the friends I was with—I won’t tell you his name—had too many cocktails and fell asleep at the table.